Container device



July 26, 1960 F. LANGE CONTAINER DEVICE 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 25, 1955 July 26, 1960 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 25, 1955 July 26, 1960 F. LANGE 2,946,495 CONTAINER DEVICE Filed March 25, 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 F. LANGE CONTAINER DEVICE July 26, 1960 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 25, 1955 jm errton' July 26, 1960 CONTAINER DEVICE Filed March 25, 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 F. LANGE} 2,946,495

July 26,1960 F. LANGE I 2,946,495

CONTAINER DEVICE 7 Filed March 25, 1955 7 Sheets-Sheet e July 26; 1960 F. LANGE 2,946,495

CONTAINER DEVICE '7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed March 25, 1955 ilnited tates CONTAINER DEVICE Ferdinand Lange, Minden, Westphalia, Germany, assignor to Firma Werner Bahls'en, Hannover, Germany The present invention relates to container devices.

More particularly the present invention relates to foldable container devices suitable for containing food stuffs and which are moisture proof and odor-tight.

Completely closed folded containers which are formed from a sheet of blank material are already known. However, such devices have up to the present been made out of a blank sheet only with relatively great expense, because the folding processes previously known resulted in numerous overlapping layers of rather large surfaces.

In accordance with the present invention, such excessive overlapping of the folded material is avoided, and thereby a considerable part of the blank material is saved, which due to the necessary water-and-odor-tight properties thereof is comparatively expensive.

The process according to the present invention is particularly suitable for the manufacture of packages for containing food and refreshments of various types, as for example for biscuits, cigarettes, cofiee, tea, milk, oil, etc. Variously shaped containers may be provided by the present process, e.g., substantially rectangular, trape- 35 zoidal, or conical forms.

It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a folded container which is formed out of a single 'blank sheet and which is easily assembled.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a process for making folded containers of the above type.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a folded container of the above type and process for making the same which utilizes a minimum amount of blank sheet material.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a folded container of the above type and a process for making the same wherein the container which results is moisture-proof and odor-tight.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a foldable container device and process for making the same wherein the container remains stable even when containing liquids.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a foldable container having a .cover portion formed therewith, and process for making the same.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a foldable container device and method of making the same wherein the container device is formed of a plurality of container elements arranged so as to reinforce the walls thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description thereof and from the appended claim. 65

With the above objects in view, the present invention mainly consists in a method of making a container from a single sheet of cardboard material and the like, comprising the steps of bending the material along spaced substantially parallel lines to form a top wall, a bottom wall and a back wall connecting the top and bottom atented July 26, 1960 2 walls, folding the free marginal portions of the top and bottom walls toward each other along'respective fold lines so as to form two opposite side walls and a front wall forming a closed-container with the top, bottom and back walls, at least one free marginal portion of each pair of opposite top and bottom free marginal portions being folded along an additional fold line parallel to its respective first-mentioned fold line so as to form a wall-forming portion and a connecting edge portion, the respective connecting edge portions being arranged superimposed on a portion of the opposite free marginal portion; folding each of the connecting edge portions against and parallel with one of the wall=forming portions; and fastening, preferably by adhesive means, the thus folded connecting edge portions to the wall-forming portions against whichthey are folded.

The present invention also consists in a container device formed of a single sheet of cardboard material and the like which comprises a top wall, a bottom wall, and a back wall connecting the top and bottom Walls, the walls being formed by bending the sheet of material along spaced substantially parallel lines, side and front walls extending between the top and bottom walls formed by folding the free marginal portions of the top and bottom Walls toward each other along first fold lines, the side walls and front wall forming with the top, bottom and back walls a closed container, at least one free marginal portion of each pair of opposite top and bottom free marginal portions being folded along an additional fold line parallel to its respective first-mentioned fold line so as to form a wall-forming ortion and a connecting edge portion, the respective connecting edge portions being superimposed on a portion of the opposite marginal portion and folded therewith against one of said wall-forming portions parallel therewith, and adhesive fastening means securing the connecting edge portions to the wall forming portions against which they are folded.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention, only the outer parts of the. connecting edge portions and/ or the parts of the wall forming portions corresponding to this outer part are provided with a latently adhesive layer and adhesively secured to each other. 4

In carrying out the method as set forth above, it is possible in accordance with the present invention to first fold in and close the opposite lateral sides and then fold together and close the front side, or vice .versa.

The folded container made according to the present invention is characterized by closure strips on three side walls formed by connecting edge strips which are provided with layers of a latently adhesive substance and may be adhesively sealed together. In this connection,

' the expression closure strip is used in the present case to refer to the thus adhesively joined superimposed connecting edge strips- 7 In a preferred method according to the present invention, the closure strips are connected to the middle line of the sides of the container.

The procedure can also be carried out so that closure strips of two opposite container sides lie against the upper lateral edges of the container, while the closure strip of the front side extends along the middle of the front side. Of course, it is possible to fold the container so that the closure strips on all the sides are arranged along either the upper or the lower lateral edges, or two of the closure strips extend along the middle of the respective sides and one closure strip lies along the upper or lower edge.

The container can be so folded that the three-cornered fold surfaces adjacent the back wall lie within the side panels in the finished container. These side panels, however, are already strengthened by the folded-over closure strips, so that these panels do not require further reinforcement by the three-cornered fold portions.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the back wall of the container can be strengthened by the folding of certain fold portions and by which a part thereof is formed of at least three layers of material produced by the three-cornered fold portions.

The present process can be so carried out that in folding the side panels, the portions thereof adjacent the back wall project toward the rear, and these portio'ns may be applied against the exterior of the back wall after pasting together or sealing the projecting connecting edge strips formed by folding the side panels.

The present process can also be so carried out that the front side can be closed without folding lateral fold panels in the top or sides of the container, but merely by folding panels which are connected to the top and bottom walls of the blank sheet and which correspond to these walls in width, by which the entire opening of the front side may be covered, while these fold panels by means of lateral connecting edge strips can be fastened together with corresponding connecting edge strips of the side panels and fold portions formed by lateral closure strips. In this process, it is preferable to make both fold portions covering the opening of the front side so large that they can cover over the entire opening of the front side.

As will be seen from the description below, and the drawings, the present process provides for just enough layers of material in the overlapping of the connecting edge strips in all locations which are particularly suitable for adhesively sealing these connecting edge strips to form a closure panel. In the completely closed finished folded container, there are produced at two edges of the front wall projecting strips formed by the sealed connecting edge strips, which now finally can be folded over onto the side faces of the container.

It is also possible, after folding a container in accordance with the present process, to produce a container which can be converted from a flat condition into an upright erected position, in which it can then be filled and closed up. There is also the possibility of using these containers as bags in the sale of goods, and the present process has the considerable advantage that the containers made thereby can be used for retail sales, without lessening the advantages of the present process.

In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the present process can be so carried out that the halves of the blank sheet are folded first along the central line of the container back wall and given either a simple fold or a compression fold between the superimposed top and bottom walls, then the lateral connecting edge strips are fastened together by sealing, and both the closure panels so formed are folded over, whereupon, either immediately or later on, the container is erected by folding out the folds forming the bottom and the fold forming the two side Walls, the container then being filled and closed at its open side in suitable manner. Both lateral closure panels can be bent over and fastened to the same side of the assembled package or to different sides of the same.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the the appended claim. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, to gether with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, in .which Fig. 1 shows a blank sheet which may be folded according to the present invention;

Figs. 2-9 are perspective views of different stages, of folding of the blank sheet shown in Fig. 1 carried out Fig. 10 shows another embodiment of a blank sheet which may be folded in accordance with a difierent embodiment of the present process;

Figs. 11-21 show individual stages of the process of folding the blank sheet shown in Fig. l0, Figs. l4l6 being views in the direction of arrow B shown in Fig. 13;

Fig. 22 shows a blank sheet used for forming a trapezoidal folded container;

Fig. 23 shows a folded container of trapezoidal shape of the type produced by folding the blank sheet shown in Fig. 22;

Figs. 2429 show individual stages of the process of folding the blank sheet of Fig. 2.2 into a trapezoidal form. 7

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to the embodiment of the present invention illustrated in Figs. 1-9, a blank sheet of material is shown in Fig. 1 which may be of cardboard, paste board, metal foil, or of any other stiff material suitably o'r conventionally used for making foldable containers. The container made from the blank sheet shown in Fig. l is formed from two similar halves produced by folding over the blank sheet. The surfaces as designated in the blank sheet of Fig. 1 form in the finished container a top panel or wall 1, a back wall 2, a bottom wall 3, upper half 4 and lower half 5 of the front wall, lower half 6 and upper half 7 of the left side wall, and lower half 8 and upper half 9 of the right side wall.

Connecting edge strips ll and 11 are adapted to be adhesively fastened together in subsequent folding steps so as to form closure strips for the left side wall, and connecting edge strips 12 and 13 are adapted to form in the same manner the closure strips for the right side wall. Connecting edge strips 14 and 15 when fastened together serve as closure strips for the front side of the container.

As clearly shown in Fig. l, the outer parts of connecting edge strips 11 and f3, and the corresponding parts of the upper halves 7 and 9 of the left and right side Walls are covered with a latently adhesive layer 38.

In accordance with the folding process of the present invention using the blank sheet shown in Fig. l, the blank sheet is folded into the position shown in Fig. 2, in which walls 1 and 3 lie in planes parallel and spaced with rcspect to each other. The left side wall is now formed, and as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the threecornered folds 16 and 17 are folded on the three-cornered fold 18, while side halves 6 and 7 are arranged in the same plane so as to form the side wall of the container, while connecting edge strips 10 and 11 lie superimposed on one another. In this process, the connecting edge portions 39 and 20 are folded in between connecting edge strips Ill and 11.

The outer parts of connecting edge portions 19 and 20, three cornered folds 16, 17, 18 and corresponding corner forming portions which in the blank sheet form extensions of the outer parts of connecting edge strips 11 and 13, and upper halves 7 and 9 of the right and left side walls, are also covered with latently adhesive layer 38.

The right side wall of the container is folded in a manner analogous to that of the forming of the left side wall, in which the connecting edge strips 12 and 13 lie superimposed upon one another to form a closure strip for the right side wall.

The connecting edge strips 19 and f1, and 12 and 13, are then adhesively fastened together with each other,

means of a fold crease in the manner shown in Fig. 7. In this way, after such folding the three-cornered fold portion 21 lies on the three-cornered portion 23, while the three-cornered folds 22, '23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 all lie superimposed on one another. Surfaces 28, 29 and 30, 31 are thereby arranged between connecting edge strips 14 and 15. In an analogous manner, the other edges of the front wall are folded up.

The locking strip formed by connecting edge strips 14 and is now also fastened or adhesively sealed together and folded over onto the front wall of the finished container (Figs. 8 and 9).

The desired contents can be placed into the container in any desired folded condition of the container.

The folding can also be carried out in a manner such that the closure strip which is formed of the connecting edge strips does not lie in the middle of the side walls of the formed container, but rather lies along its upper or lower edges. The folding pattern of a blank sheet which produces such a result is shown in Fig. 10, and the folding process is clearly illustrated in Figs. 11-21.

In order that the outer edge of the lateral closure strips may be sealed against the lower edge of the container, the connecting edge strips 32 and 33 are made as wide as the side walls 34 and 35. They thereby extend in folded condition over connecting strips 36 and 37.

In Figs. 11-l6 are shown the folding steps for forming the left rear edge, and the Figs. 19 and 20 show the process of forming the front wall in accordance with the present folding process.

In Figs. 22-29 is shown the formation of a trapezoidal box, and the folding processis shown in these figures in a manner analogous to thatt shown in Figs. 1-9. v

In order that the boundaries between surfaces 11 and 19, 7 and 16, 10 and 20, as well as 6 and 17, may coincide with the edges between surfaces 2 and 18 and that the boundaries between surfaces 15 and 31, as well as 14 and 29 together with the lateral outer edges of surfaces 28 and 30 may coincide with the edges between surfaces 11 and 24, 7 and 25, 10 and 23 as well as 6 and 23', the slope angle at must be taken into account in the trapezoidal construction of the blank sheet shown in Fig. 22.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of foldable containers differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in foldable containers for holding food stuffs, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claim.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A vapor-tightly closed, filled container device formed of a single rectangular sheet of cardboard material and the like, comprising a top wall, a bottom wall, and a back wall connecting said top and bottom walls and having a predetermined width, said walls being formed by bending the sheet of material along spaced substantially parallel lines; side and front walls extending between said top and bottom walls formed by folding top and bottom free marginal portions of said sheet having each a width equal to the width of said back wall and located beyond said top and bottom walls toward each other along first fold lines, said side walls and front wall forming with said top, bottom and back walls a closed container, each of the free marginal portions of each pair of opposite top and bottom free marginal portions being folded along an additional fold line midway between the respective first fold line and the free edge of said free marginal portion parallel, and an additional fold line normal, to its respective first-mentioned fold line so as to form a wall-forming portion, a connecting edge portion and connecting corner portions, the thus formed opposite connecting edge portions being superimposed on each other with said connecting comer portions folded inwardly between said superimposed portions and folded therewith against one of said wall-forming portions parallel therewith, so that one of said connecting edge portions is superimposed on the respective wall forming portion coextensive therewith; and adhesive fastening means securing one of said superimposed connecting edge portions to the respective wall forming portion on which it is superimposed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 155,610 Grinter Oct. 6, 1874 681,472 Birnie et al. Aug. 27, 1901 1,478,838 Reifsnyder Dec. 25, 1923 1,994,923 Ross Mar. 19, 1935 2,092,858 Richard Sept. 14, 1937 2,282,207 Palmer May 5, 1942 2,385,898 Waters Oct. 2, 1945 2,392,206 Waters Ian. 1, 1946 2,395,663 Howard Feb. 26, 1946 2,401,109 Rohdin May 28, 1946 2,737,335 Moore Mar. 6, 1956 

